Wonderful Friends

The last few weeks have been a bit fraught over here with uni finals and The Job Hunt beginning, to the point where I ducked out of a dinner and night out with old school friends on Saturday because I didn't want to join in with the chat about uni and jobhunting, or to once again grill waiters in front of my friends. My friends are fine about it, I just hate having to do it. So just as I was planning a night in on my own with a tub of ice cream my boyfriend's friend rang and invited us to a gathering at theirs. They run a stage school and often get given bottles of fizzy stuff by the kids' parents after performances, but they don't drink it so once in a while have a gathering to use it up... Already sounding much more inviting than the other option!

So I ate beforehand and we went, intending to go for a few hours. I didn't realise but the host had made the whole evening gluten free - 'I read EVERY SINGLE LABEL!' bless her - without even checking if we were definitely coming for food (hence eating beforehand)! It was such a nice surprise. A few of the others had also given up gluten and it was really nice not to have to explain it to anyone and to swap recipes. I've been sceptical (and still am, in some ways) of those who give up gluten for more lifestyle than health choices, but these guys were more Paleo diet than gluten free super-processed products so we had a lot to chat about. I didn't have to defend my 'fussiness' or the taste of gluten-free bread or explain what 'autoimmune' means once! The few hours turned into a night and half the next day (gluten free pancakes all round in the morning). Just thought I'd share my nice surprise (and also my boyfriend has heard me retell it several times...hehe).

Just as an observation, I was really thinking about giving up eating out as no matter how reputable/reliable the restaurant (lucky enough to be near some really good ones) I was getting cramps afterwards. At our friends' house - no cramps. I'm now wondering if the cramps are in fact more to do with anxiety than gluten...

Yeah! I'm still smiling about it a few days later. I'm not sure... There are two restaurants I eat at where I feel completely safe so next time I eat there with someone I feel comfortable explaining my requirements in front of (like my parents or boyfriend) I'll take note of how I feel. Hard one to test really! I wish there was some instant test that could tell you if you'd been glutened.